Solidarity
by Eldr-Fire
Summary: The Mizukage finds unexpected solidarity with a contemporary while being questioned about the war with Akatsuki. Spoilers. KakaMei


Happy Valentine's Day! For those who do not know, the Mizukage is named Terumii Mei. I hope to do more KakaMei stories in the future! I will not be writing more in this oneshot, but if I write a KakaMei multichapter someday I will probably incorporate this or something similar into it. I did some research about Mizu and Kiri, and in some places I kind of added my own stuff. But if I got anything absolutely wrong, feel free to let me know!

* * *

They sat in a circle around a large wooden table. At the head were three elderly men clad in deep purple robes, embroidered with fine white thread in elaborate patterns. Elegant cloth hats were sitting neatly on top of their dark hair, marking their status as members of the international investigative committee. Having been specially appointed by representatives of all nations to conduct the post-war investigation of Akatsuki, they were esteemed above even the gathered kages and held themselves with an appropriate level of dignity.

On the immediate right, the Raikage loomed over the proceedings, blocking out the sunshine meandering in from the window behind him and casting his part of the table in shadow. It only served to enhance his intimidating presence and turn his chocolate skin ebony, leaving only his eyes to shine angrily on his contemporaries.

His bulky frame dwarfed the stumpy Tsuchikage, who sat quietly beside him. The elderly man had been uncharacteristically silent, refraining from piping up for fear of having the finger pointed back at him. He sat with his arms folded and his bulbous nose pointed down towards the stack of papers in front of him, every now and then grunting in assent.

In contrast, the young Kazekage was sitting upright and attentive. His pale eyes carefully followed the conversation, and he contributed with useful information about the nature of jinchuuriki and the behavior of Akatsuki members. Every now and then he exchanged glances with the Hokage, particularly when Uzumaki Naruto was mentioned.

The Hokage remained entirely impassive. His navy blue mask concealed most of his expressions, and the only indication of his mood was the subtle shifting of a silver eyebrow. The Raikage had already complained twice about how the man felt the need to mask himself in front of his equals, as if he considered himself above them, but the committee had dismissed it as trivial and continued.

Continued interrogating the Mizukage, that is. Mei hated the way their voices trembled and cracked like thin paper as they posed provocative and accusatory questions, all with the air of an arithmetic teacher. She was the only woman present besides the guards of the Tsuchikage and Kazekage, but she was used to the overwhelmingly masculine top tier of the shinobi world. If only the previous Hokage, Tsunade, had been here, it may have been a little easier, but instead the seat on her left was filled by the aloof Hatake Kakashi.

A council member cleared his throat. "At what point was Yagura put under Madara's control?"

Once again, a simple question with an endlessly complicated answer. Mei spread out several documents on the table in front of her; the others all leaned forward to peer at the content. "No one can be exactly sure when the initial contact was," she explained. "However, there are several indications that it was fairly early on, perhaps thirty years ago."

"Thirty years?" The Tsuchikage frowned at her from across the table. "Why, that's even before Yagura came to power."

The Hokage turned curiously to Mei. "You mean to say that Madara was essentially behind the coup?"

"That's what our data seems to indicate." She turned to the group at large. "While Kiri has always been a militaristic village, especially in comparison to Konoha, it took a violent turn under Yagura."

"Village of the Bloody Mist," the Kazekage said quietly. Mei nodded. "Yes, shortly after Yagura came to power, he instituted a much harsher system. Our infamous academy rituals were only the most notorious of a brutal method of leadership."

"Yes," one of the council members said. "We have documentation of some particularly nasty executions and tortures." He adjusted his reading glasses, pushing them further down his nose. Mei thought it rather comical how he pursed his lips and bugged out his eyes while he read, but she wouldn't have dared to show even a smile. "It says here that even petty criminals were given to Hunter nins for study and experimentation."

Mei nodded grimly. "Such methods were not seen in Kiri until Yagura. The violent nature of the coup he had led made us less suspicious of his twisted regime— that is to say, everyone thought he was just a naturally cruel person. No one suspected that Uchiha Madara was orchestrating things from behind the scenes.

"Suspicions were aroused, however, when Yagura began purging the country of bloodline limits. No one thought it was a good idea. Several failed coups were staged, the most prominent of which was led by Momochi Zabuza." The Hokage shifted in his seat, and she tried not to think of Choujuurou, who still bristled at the idea that they were seated with the man who had defeated one of the most powerful of the Seven Swordsmen. "Those were all loosely organized endeavors, but a massive movement at the hands of his own government finally took Yagura out of power."

The Kazekage blinked at her. His gaze was unnerving. "What became of Yagura? He must not have fallen under Madara's wing, because the Sanbi was unattached when it was captured by the Akatsuki."

"We do not know what happened to Yagura," she answered. "Our country was in a state of complete turmoil, and Yagura's barely conscious body disappeared overnight."

"Is it possible that Madara extracted the beast but did not have the means of containing it?" the Hokage asked.

"Honestly, we cannot determine any of that." Mei swallowed. It didn't feel good to have so many foggy aspects of the story, but they had been scouring the records for months to no avail. Madara had covered his tracks well. "We only know that Hoshikage Kisame defected the same night Yagura disappeared."

The central committee member asked shrewdly, "Why did it take you so long to figure out that he had been hoodwinked?"

Hadn't she just explained that? This committee was incredibly dense sometimes. She opened her mouth to reply, but the Hokage beat her to it.

"Well, Uchiha Madara was an extremely powerful shinobi. Not only did he have the most advanced known form of the Sharingan, but he had also devised some sort of technique to keep himself alive longer, possibly a technique similar to what we know Orochimaru was using. He was also able to control tailed beasts, so he was a very capable shinobi. The fact that Yagura was a jinchuuriki probably made him more susceptible to Madara's control."

It was true; Yagura had been a pariah, shunned by the village when it decided it had little use for him— much as the current Kazekage had been. The country had not kept the best tabs on Yagura, for he was notoriously unstable and judged to have been better left alone. It would have been all too easy for Uchiha Madara to have taken advantage of the lonely and angry young man.

Mei was surprised that the Hokage had spoken up for her. Konoha and Kiri had always been hostile to each other, so she hadn't expected his support.

Anger curled the Raikage's lip. "If Konoha had kept better control over Uchiha Madara, none of this would've happened," he growled.

The Hokage looked unphased. A committee member warbled, "Konoha is not currently the subject of investigation. Our focus right now is Kiri."

"This is a waste of time!" Surprise, surprise, the Raikage was upset. "We should do this all at once— traveling from country to country to investigate is a big waste of time. It's forcing us to spend too much time away from home when our villages need supervision during postwar recovery!"

"You were allowed to send a representative in your stead, Raikage," the Hokage said coolly.

"And let you all hoodwink him?"

"Or her," Mei snapped, but then immediately regretted it. Agh, she just couldn't help it sometimes, and at the worst moments, too... like when convincing her fianceé not to break up with her...

_Focus, Mei._

The Hokage and Kazekage glanced at her, but the others ignored her. Waving her off, the Raikage said, "I'd like to point out that none of _you_ sent a rep."

"And none of us are complaining," the Hokage quipped.

Murderous rage glowed in the Raikage's eyes, but the Kazekage smoothly intercepted the conversation. "Anyway, it makes most sense to conduct our Akatsuki investigation here instead of Konoha or anywhere else because this is where it started and had the biggest political influence."

"Yes..." A committee member sternly addressed the Hokage. "Konoha should be conducting its own investigation already while they're waiting for us."

"We are," the Hokage said sharply.

Mei could identify with him; this was really draining, and most people seemed to be suspicious of her. It was frustrating because it was so difficult to find evidence of Madara's control. He had been excellent at disguising his activities, and the possibility of manipulation from the moment Yagura took power made it even harder to track a definitive moment when Yagura came under his control. It was probably impossible.

The main councilman sighed. "This will conclude our meeting for now. We will resume this evening."

Unsurprisingly, the Raikage looked angry. The Kazekage's face was entirely blank, and the Tsuchikage looked relieved he hadn't been attacked yet for his dubious involvement with Akatsuki. The Hokage looked very uncomfortable and ducked out of there almost immediately. Mei also made her escape quickly, wanting to avoid Choujuurou and Ao for now. She left the room and noticed the Hokage hopping out of a window.

Her mouth twitched. What kind of dignitary was he? But truthfully she wished she could follow suit; it would have felt pretty liberating to just leap across the rooftops and run away from these terrible meetings.

She hurried down the rickety wooden stairs that wound sharply around the central pillar, picking up speed as she descended. She made an abrupt turn down a narrow hallway and ran down it, finally emerging gasping for breath out of a side door.

Sighing, she ran a hand over her face, wiping away the sweat with an "Ugh". It was noon at the height of summer, and it was incredibly humid today. Her bangs, normally so shapely, were limp with damp.

She was standing at the top of a steep hill, and at the bottom lay the ponds and swamps that covered the entire Water Country. Most buildings in Kirigakure were set on raised ground to avoid the water sitting at sea level. She started to run down, sandals squelching in the muddy grass. Towards the bottom, she sent a surge of chakra to her feet and jumped across the standing water, landing on another hill. She scaled it quickly, pausing at a thick cluster of deciduous trees and resting her hand against a trunk.

Why couldn't they just understand that she was the one who _overthrew_ Yagura? She already _knew_ that Yagura had been doing something wrong, even if she hadn't known it was Madara pulling the strings. And it was all being bogged down by this formality and tension, which was worsened by the Raikage, who insisted on making this difficult.

She laid her forehead against the bark and let out a low whine. There was so much she already needed to be doing, what with bolstering the village again after the war. But digging out old intelligence reports and confidential records to deal with this interrogation was a prickly business, both time-consuming and just... tough.

_But so am I_, she suddenly reminded herself. _I'm the Mizukage and I can damn well handle this._ She pushed off the tree and composed herself, haughtily flicking a wet leaf off of her gown.

Above her, a page turned.

Startled, she looked up into the tree. One sandaled foot was dangling lazily off of the branch; she backed up a few steps and frowned. The Hokage was sitting comfortably against the trunk, washed in the surreal green light that filtered in through the leaves. He was holding a slim orange book, single eye roving the pages. The paper crinkled as he turned another page.

Mei cocked a skeptical eyebrow. "Reading, Hokage-sama?"

His silver eyebrow furrowed in a frown, but his eye did not leave the page. "Yes, Mizukage-sama," he said politely. "But you can call me Kakashi."

She wondered if he had even noticed her at all before. He seemed to be engrossed in that book of his. He must have noticed, though— otherwise he would have been a poor kage.

"What is it that has captured your esteemed attention, _Kakashi_?"

He tipped his head up as if consulting the leafy canopy before answering. "Icha Icha Paradise."

"Icha Icha Paradise?" she repeated incredulously.

Kakashi nodded, closing the book and showing her the cover. The title was spelled out in bubbly red letters that spilled carelessly across the page, a lopsided banner above the cover image. A man was chasing after a blue-haired woman, and they both looked positively delirious with joy.

Her eyebrow disappeared under the auburn swoop of her bangs as she leveled him an unimpressed look.

The faint crow's feet at the corner of his eye bunched in a smile. He slipped the book into the pouch at his hip. "Are you not a connoisseur of fine literature?"

"I prefer my adult literature a little more... sophisticated."

Mischief glinted in his charcoal eye. "You have clearly not read the magnificent works of the late Jiraiya."

The name registered in her brain, bringing forth the image of a monstrous, hairy man. In particular, the large wart on his nose stuck out in her mind. She had always pictured him as a formidable and respectable man, but...

"He wrote _porn_?"

Kakashi laughed.

She shook her head. "Are you really comfortable up there?" she asked.

He looked surprised. "Yes, trees are my favorite place to read."

"I'd think it would get uncomfortable..."

"It reminds me of home."

Mei shrugged. "Well, I can think of a much better place to relax with a book than up a stuffy old tree."

He dropped down, cloak flying up behind him and then fluttering to a halt as he landed. "Show me, then."

She started running again, circling around the copse of trees to run on the open grass. The edge of the top of hill was at a steep angle, and she had to apply chakra to her feet to stay steady. The landscape passed by her diagonally as she led the Hokage around. She brought him down the opposite side of the hill, and as they ran down she couldn't help a peal of laughter that the wind ripped away from her.

She reached the bottom in a splash. When her momentum faded, she turned to look at the Hokage, who was perched precariously at the edge of the water. He tugged at his collar; he must have been sweating a lot under all of those layers.

"What's the matter? It'll help you cool off."

He sighed. Impatient, she splashed goadingly at him. He stiffened like a cat and she laughed again.

"Very well," he said, and he slipped out of his sandals before stepping into the water.

She smiled up at the sky. Humid as it was, it was a beautiful day. One of the nicest things about Kiri was that the mist was so thick that the sun was rarely too bright, and today it was shrouded by the translucent cloak of mist.

Water splashed at her back. She spun around in surprise to see the Hokage bent over, smirking at her through his dark mask.

Mei grinned and retaliated with a large scoop of water. He dodged the brunt of it, escaping with only a few droplets. Her hands tingled with chakra as she sent an even larger wave towards him— it took him by surprise and soaked him down his front.

Kakashi hastily brought his hands together in a sign for a simple water jutsu, but he was a fool if he thought we was going to best the Mizukage at water play. She was two steps ahead of him and brought herself up on a large wave, towering above him and casting a strong shadow. His jet of water missed her by inches and she brought her wave down crashing over him.

The tidal wave carried her right over his head, and she landed neatly on the hill, clutching her sides in laughter. She was so possessed with mirth that she stumbled backward.

She watched through teary eyes as the Hokage pulled himself to his feet, wringing his arms in one powerful movement to send water splattering in all directions, including onto her chest. The droplets felt cool against her skin.

Eyeing her with bemusement, he turned around. He held out a hand and helped her up; she wobbled, body still wracked with laughter. She put her hands on his shoulders for support. Her head was bowed, the hair pinched together on top of her head bent against his chest.

But suddenly she wasn't laughing anymore, and her light-heartedness was weighed down by the crushing burden of all of her responsibilities. She bit down hard on her lip. There was no way in hell she was crying in front of this man.

The material of his cloak was damp under her fingers, and she could tell by the slight sagging of his shoulders that he too was unable to chase the weight away for long.

He placed reassuring hands on her shoulders, as if trying to steady her shaking. It was tempting to just let him comfort her, but she had to remember that she couldn't show him too much. He had asked her to call him Kakashi, but the fact remained that he was the Hokage of Konoha and she really couldn't trust him.

She firmly pulled away, taking a step back. Giving him a stiff smile, she said, "Thanks, it's nice to forget for a little while."

No one could quite appreciate the difficulty of being a kage like another kage could. Even though she was not willing to openly acknowledge it, she could tell that they understood each other.

There was a moment of awkward silence, but he broke it with a chuckle. "Well, I'm certainly soaking wet," he said pleasantly, gesturing towards himself.

"Well, what do you expect in the Land of Water?"

He swatted at a fly and sighed. "Okay, next time you're in Konoha I'll be sure to set you on fire."

She laughed. "I'd like to see you try."

"Well, I look forward to the opportunity," he said softly.

Mei tilted her head to the side and smiled. _How endearing._


End file.
